Espresso or expresso type coffee beverages have become extremely popular in recent years. Espresso-type coffee is typically made from the dark-roasted beans, (e.g., Viennese roast, French-type roast, Italian-type roast) which have a distinct, almost-burnt appearance and smell, with droplets of coffee oil formed on the surface of the beans. These darkly-roasted beans have considerably less acidity and aromas, are more brittle and hence are subject to finer grinding and higher extraction rates, and have a higher fatty acid content than the lighter roasts.
The method for making espresso type coffee is different from common methods for making drip-type or percolation coffee. The espresso process involves forcing hot water or steam under pressure through a packed bed of extra finely ground coffee made from these espresso coffee beans. Besides the espresso coffee grounds, this packed bed can include flavorants such as cinnamon, cocoa, etc.
Espresso coffee is a dark full bodied brew. One popular variant of espresso coffee is cappuccino. Cappuccino is a beverage in which espresso coffee is mixed or topped with steamed milk or cream. Cappuccino is usually made by first brewing espresso as described above, and then pouring a layer of foamed milk over the espresso in the cup. Indeed, cappuccino uses the foamed milk as a primary ingredient. In order to make the foamed milk, air is intermixed with the milk in the presence of steam so that the milk is "emulsified," i.e., foamed or frothed, and heated at the same time. Other "classic" espresso beverages that use foamed or frothed milk include caffe latte, and espresso macchiato. The milk provides flavor, texture, as well as garnish for these espresso beverages. Espresso beverages made with foamed or frothed milk can also include other flavorants such as cocoa, e.g., mocha type.
Espresso and especially cappuccino coffee beverages are typically prepared utilizing relatively expensive and specialized equipment. This has often limited the availability of such beverages to restaurants, specialty coffee shops and the like. In addition, considerable operator skill is required in preparing the foamed or frothed milk at the heart of cappuccino beverages. The specialized equipment, lengthy preparation time and skill required to prepare cappuccino type espresso beverages can be an impediment to private or in-home consumption.
Instant espresso type, and especially instant cappuccino type, coffee products are a relatively new entrant to the coffee beverage market. Prior cappuccino type instant coffee products usually contain a mixture of instant coffee powder, creamer, sweetener, and flavorings. See PCT application 95/10360 (Agbo et al), published Mar. 21, 1996. Foam is typically generated in such products by including a foaming type creamer where a gas is incorporated into the creamer. See PCT application 95/10360; U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,962 (Stipp), issued Jul. 18, 1995; European Patent 458,310 (Vogt et al), published Nov. 27, 1991 and German Patent Application 4,407,361 (Ledermann), published Sep. 7, 1995. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,147 (Hedrick), issued Mar. 20, 1984 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,759 (Westerbeek et al), filed Jul. 13, 1993, issued Oct. 31, 1995, which disclose gasified foaming creamers.
A problem in including foaming creamers in instant cappuccino type products is their low density. The density of foaming creamers is typically in the range of from about 0.18 to about 0.30 g/cc. When included at levels of at least about 20% to generate sufficient foam, the resulting instant cappuccino type coffee products (sugar sweetened) typically have densities in the range of from about 0.3 to about 0.4 g/cc. By contrast, conventional sugar sweetened flavored instant coffee products typically have densities in the range of from about 0.55 to about 0.70 g/cc. This means that sugar sweetened instant cappuccino type coffee products containing foaming type creamers cannot be spooned out on the same volume basis as conventional flavored instant coffee products. Instead, sugar sweetened instant cappuccino type coffee products are often formulated as single serving packages because of the large volume of product required to prepare a drinkable beverage.
Conversely, limiting the amount of foaming creamer in the instant coffee product can cause insufficient foam to be generated, especially at levels below about 10%. To assist in foam formation, components have been included in instant cappuccino type coffee products that will generate carbon dioxide when mixed with water. See PCT application 95/10360 and German Patent Application 4,407,361. See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,591 (Canton), issued Sep. 27, 1994 which discloses a foaming creamer composition that contains components for generating carbon dioxide. However, the carbon dioxide that is generated will be lost fairly rapidly because it does not remain entrapped within the foam bubbles.
In addition, prior instant cappuccino type products suffer from other problems. During handling or shipping of these products, the foaming creamer is subjected to mechanical forces that can break down its structure. As a result, the entrapped gas can be lost, thus decreasing or even negating the ability to generate foam in the beverage.